“Yu Gwan-sun Day” to be Honored in New York State beginning with the 100th Anniversary of March 1st Independence Movement
A bill to designate March 1st as a day to celebrate the Korean freedom fighter Yu Gwan-sun will be introduced in the state of New York on January 14th. The day will be known to the residents of New York as “Yu Gwan-sun Day.”
In her short life Yu Gwan-sun did much to support liberation of the Korean peninsula which was forcibly occupied by Japan. From rallying protesters across the nation to distributing information and patriotic materials such as the Korean National Flag, she made a historic contribution to the Sam-il independence movement. She was imprisoned and brutally tortured by the Imperial Japanese police for her heroic actions. Even with this she continued to protest and speak out for Korean Independence. Ultimately, she suffered as a martyr for her nation, dying at the young age of 17 before she could even see the fruition of her contribution in 1945 when Korea was liberated. Now, 100 years later Yu Gwan-sun will soon be recognized internationally for her sacrifices.
One year ago, the New York Times wrote an obituary for this great hero as a tribute to her and other overlooked women for International Women’s Day. Now a year later, with the plan to honor her with her own memorial day, we can see these actions are significant progress to recognizing the importance of freedom fighters like Yu Gwan-sun and the movement she supported. In a Yonhap News article, The Korean American Association of Greater New York stated “This can be seen as New York recognizing at the state level the historical meaning of the March 1st Movement.”
With the high likelihood of this bill to pass, the state of New York will soon honor March 1st as “Yu Gwan-sun Day” each year from 2019. This is a huge step forward for the remembrance of the Freedom Fighters that lead the fight to Korean independence.
You can find further information about the Freedom Fighter Yu Gwan-sun here:
https://youtu.be/UmuQQ4DzPB0
http://peacemaker.prkorea.com/yugwansun/
Additionally, you can learn about other Freedom Fighters here:
Written by: Sean Poteet
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Sean is a 4th year student and Canididate for a Bachelors of Arts in the Korean Language program at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, currently on exchange for a 1 year period at Korea University and interning at VANK